1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to portable scoopers that enable people to scoop up animal refuse or other material in a sanitary fashion. More specifically, the present invention relates to scoops made from the selective folding of a paperboard blank.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many different cities and other municipalities have ordinances that require pet owners to clean up after their pets if their pets defecate on public property. Due to such ordinances, many pet owners carry some sort of disposal material that can help the pet owner handle and dispose of the animal waste in a sanitary manner. The disposal material may just be a piece of newspaper, a plastic bag or some other generic material that can be used to grasp and wrap the waste. Such generic approaches are inexpensive but have limitations in their effectiveness, ease of use, and ability to maintain a sanitary condition.
Recognizing the limitations of generic approaches, pet owners have developed many different types of dedicated devices that help them handle and dispose of waste. One type of device is the reusable scoop. Such devices are economical to use. However, these devices must be washed after they are used. In order to eliminate the unpleasant task of washing animal waste from a reusable scoop, pet owners have developed one-time-use disposable scoops. Such scoops are used to scoop up animal waste and are then thrown away with the animal waste. Dozens of disposable scoops may be used by a pet owner in a single week. Accordingly, in order for such disposable scoops to be cost effective, they must be made to be very inexpensive.
A popular type of inexpensive disposable scoop is the type where the mouth of a disposable plastic bag is held open by a folded paperboard frame. In order for such disposable scoops to be effective, the folded paperboard frame must provide the disposable bag with a wide, flat base to receive the waste and a handle to hold the device in a sanitary fashion. Examples of such disposable scoops are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,153 to Brown, entitled Sanitary Self-Contained Fecal Waste Container and U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,354 to Claras, entitled Pick Up And Disposal Kit For Pet Ordure. Some prior art disposable scoops have paperboard frames with square configurations or circular configurations. Such prior art disposable scoops lack lateral integrity. Accordingly, such prior art scoops have a tendency to collapse when in use, thereby failing to properly perform its designed function.
Another problem associated with some prior art disposable scoops, such as those cited above, is that the paperboard frame folds into a complex configuration. Accordingly, the disposable bag that attaches to the paperboard frame must be either manufactured or folded in a complex configuration in order to properly conform to the paperboard frame. This adds to the cost and complexity of manufacturing the disposable scoops.
Prior art scoops that support commonly formed bags or commonly folded bags are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,952 to Thompson, entitled Combination Bag And Scoop. Such devices have a paperboard frame that are essentially circular, thereby being easily attached to the open end of a standard shaped bag. A disadvantage of such designs, however, is that circular frame designs generally do not readily provide flat bottom surfaces and lack lateral stability. Additionally, circular paperboard frames, such as that in the Thompson patent, have handles that expose fingers to the interior of the bag and the waste that bag holds. As a result, such designs tend not to be as sanitary as complex paperboard frames that provide external handles.
A need therefore exists for an inexpensive disposable scoop that uses a paperboard frame with a bag of a simple construction, yet embodies a flat bottom for ease of use and a fully sanitary handle structure. A need also exists for a disposable scoop that uses a paperboard frame with a flat bottom yet provides improved lateral rigidity. These needs are met by the present invention device as described and claimed below.